Entrepreneurship Summit 2023: Keynote speech by Nora Griefahn

Summary

In her keynote speech `Cradle to Cradle – For a large positive footprint´, Prof. Nora Griefahn, co-founder of the Cradle to Cradle NGO, presented her vision of a circular economy that goes beyond merely minimising damage and instead actively creates a positive impact. She emphasised that society and companies often only react to crises such as climate change and resource scarcity instead of proactively developing sustainable and holistic solutions.

Griefahn emphasised that founders should not only focus their projects on products, profits or sustainability reports, but must also design business models and material cycles from the outset in such a way that they leave a positive ecological and social footprint. She gave numerous practical examples of how Cradle to Cradle principles are being successfully implemented – from construction projects to consumer goods to large-scale events. In conclusion, she encouraged the audience to start with their core business, take responsibility and develop solutions that create real added value for society and the environment.

Key insights for founders

1. Impact as a core objective:
Starting a business is not just about profit, but about changing the world for the better. Impact should be embedded in the business model from the outset.

2. Holistic goal setting:
Goals such as ‘climate neutral’ or ‘zero waste’ are only milestones. It is crucial to develop a vision for society, the company and the products.

3. Usage scenario instead of product focus:
Consider how products are used, where materials end up and how they can be returned to biological or technical cycles.

4. Quality over quantity:
Materials and products should be designed from the outset to be durable, reusable or biodegradable. This enables sustainable business models and long-term planning.

5. Utilise technology and digitalisation:
Digital tools enable material tracking, transparent supply chains and effective planning of resource cycles – they are key to circular economy.

About the speaker

Prof. Nora Griefahn is co-founder of the Cradle to Cradle NGO, which has been promoting circular economy and sustainable product development for over a decade. She heads the Cradle to Cradle Lab in Berlin, coordinating a team of 40 professionals and more than 1,000 volunteers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Griefahn is an expert in sustainable design, circular economy and impact entrepreneurship and advises companies and initiatives on implementing Cradle to Cradle principles in construction projects, consumer goods and events. Her work aims to promote social and ecological transformation through innovative business models and educational work.